Appearance: A hazy (oops, my fault!) honey orange colour with sturdy white head.
Nose: Sticking with the honey theme, that's definitely coming across in the nose too, floral and delicate... Nothing in-your-face but definitely hop accented.
Taste: Hops stick right out in the foreground with a malty base fleshing out the body. Dry, resinous and a little vinous (mostly due to a hefty body and low carb) throughout. Dr Rudi gives flavours of mint and eucalyptus, pine, liquorice, even jasmine; more floral than fruity/citrusy. There's a lovely bittersweet balance to it. The finish is not without alcohol, but its mainly the dry resin that dominates, leaving a slight mouth numbing sensation.
Mouthfeel: Medium-full.
Carbonation: The fizz is persistent but gentle.
Having not tried any Arbor Ales' ales prior to last week I now find myself reviewing another one, with another to review later in the week. Its like the buses! Dr. Rudi is part of a series of single hopped strong IPAs, a spin-off of Arbor's single hop pale ale series. Dr. Rudi the hop is from New Zealand and like many antipodean varieties is BIG in alpha acid (bitterness) and aroma. It seems to work extremely well as a single variety, giving all the aroma an IPA could possibly need. Arbor's suggestion on the bottle that certain hops (inc. Dr Rudi) suit higher gravity beers is interesting. I guess New World powerhouse cultivars would overwhelm beers lacking the strength and malt backbone to balance them.
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